Never In a Million Years

Tonya was once a homeless dog. She was rescued by Almost Home Foundation, and they in turn helped her find her forever home – with a wonderful woman, Dianne. It was to be a happy-ever-after kind of story. But something unexpected happened along the way…

Dianne lost her job. She moved back home, to Erie, Pennsylvania, to be near her family and find work. One weekend, Dianne’s father headed to their getaway home in Maryland with Tonya and his own dog. The dogs managed to escape, lost in a faraway place neither was familiar with.

Ten miles away, the dogs were fortunate to be spotted in the yard of Mary, who had two of her own. This woman took the dogs in, then began a search for the family they belonged to. The father’s dog managed to escape this property, too, somehow finding his way back to the weekend home. But there was still Tonya, who was taken to a vet to be scanned for a microchip.

Almost Home Foundation ensures all the adoptable pets are microchipped; and in so doing, is listed initially as the owner if scanned. Dianne had never updated Tonya’s chip with her own contact information. So AHF was contacted about a “found” dog – in Maryland.

At the other end, AHF co-founder, Chuck, began the search for Tonya’s adoptive guardian. According to adoption records, Diane lived in a Chicago suburb. Calls to phone numbers listed for her name were futile; the numbers were now disconnected. Chuck could not find any other information about Dianne. It seemed to be a dead end.

Dianne, Tonya, Brittany; Jeff, Mary

Then, during a phone conversation between the two, Mary told Chuck she remembered noticing the state of Pennsylvania listed on a tag on the father’s dog. Since they’d been found in Maryland, it seemed a stretch – but worth considering that perhaps that was where the dogs had come from.

Eventually, Chuck was able to locate Dianne in Pennsylvania, and was tickled to the bone to be able to make that wonderful call, letting her know Tonya had been found and was safe – ten miles from her family’s weekend home. One can only imagine how Dianne felt getting that phone call!

Arrangements were made, and Dianne was able to personally meet the woman who’d gone the extra mile to ensure that her sweet Tonya was safe and back with her loving person. And two best friends were reunited.

Without that microchip,the kindness of a dog-loving stranger, and Chuck’s persistence, Tonya would surely not be back home with her human companion today. She had moved from Chicago to Pennsylvania; that weekend she’d been transported to Maryland. She and her buddy had managed a ten-mile hike before being found that fateful day in a backyard!

Mary’s daughter, Brittany, proudly wears a tribute to dogs that have touched their hearts –

And yes, this happy-ending story involved pit bulls. Go figure.

Today is a very special day. Our buddy, Corbin, is celebrating his birthday! Being the awesome pittie that he is, he decided he wanted to spread awareness about pit bulls and what they’re really all about. So today is Bogville Pittie Post Day, declared as such by our very own friend Corbin – please help in sharing the stories linked below, to raise awareness and set the record straight about these wonderful dogs!

I was holding my breath there for a few minutes when the dogs went to Maryland. Maryland is fighting some BSL and I was worried that Tonya wouldn’t have the happy ending. That’s a great story. And really stresses the importance of micro chips and keeping your information up to date.

Happy they were able to find Dianne. Luckily, the woman who found them was observant and noticed the PA tag. This story should remind everyone to update the information on their pet’s microchip if they move!

What a terrific idea for Corbin’s birthday, and I’m glad this story had a happy ending. When we found Buster as a stray with a chain collar and no tags the first thing we did was have him scanned for a microchip, but he didn’t have one. After searching for his family via the shelters, rescue groups, and Internet to no avail we decided to adopt him and took him to be fixed and immediately had him chipped. I never wanted to take the chance that we’d lose him!

AWWWW – such a wonderful story! Just a few weeks ago my neighbor called me to let me know she was trying to catch a dog that seemed lost. I jumped in my car and went around the couple of blocks to my neighbor’s home and we both searched the neighborhood – we found the dog in a driveway. I was able to back him into a fenced in yard. He still had the rescue tags on, so I called the rescue. The new owners were searching frantically and were thrilled to be reunited. These are great happy ending stories and I wish more people would take the time to stop and catch the stray or lost dog! Thanks for sharing!

This is such a wonderful story and a perfect one for Pitty Post Day! My rescue also chips everyone, so imporant! This also points out the importance of informing a rescue when you move or change contact information. You never know when your dog will be brought back to them! Thanks so much for joining in on Pitty Post Day!-Corbin

Thank YOU, Corbin, for your selfless birthday wish! I think your Pitty Post Day was a smashing success – and surely will go a long way toward making the world a more accepting place for pibbles. We’ll all just keep spreading the word!